Locktronics kits are designed to make the construction of electronic circuits as simple as copying a circuit diagram into an exercise book. No soldering or tools are necessary. Plastic component carriers each support either a discrete electronic component or a functionally distinct circuit building block. Connections between components are then made by simply slotting the carriers between the pillars of a baseboard. It is very easy to exchange one carrier for another in order to demonstrate the the effect on the circuit.

The top of every carrier is printed with the standard ANSI or DIN circuit symbol for the part(s) that it carries, so constructing a circuit simultaneously constructs that circuit's schematic, and vice versa. Component values are marked clearly using the relevant SI units.